04 Feb 43 mission #14 to Osnabruck, Germany in B-17F #41-24569 Memphis Tot (427BS) GN-V. Last seen turning out of formation near Leeuwarden. Guns froze while over the Netherlands en route to the target. The B-17 left the formation to return to Molesworth and was soon attacked by ME-109s and FW-190s. Capt Cole ditched his B-17 in the Zider Zee of the coast of Holland. Capt Cole caught a 20 mm shell in his left hip. He later lost his leg and died in a POW hospital. CoPilot 2Lt McCune was killed before the crash. The seven surviving crewmen were picked up by a Dutch fishing boat, transferred to a German Marine boat, turned over to German authorities and made POWs. Substitute crewmen on the 04 Feb 43 mission (not in photo) were: S/Sgt Gordon D. Miller (R-POW), S/Sgt James L. Pennington (LWG-KIA) and Sgt James R. Van Etten (RWG-KIA)